Put a Christmas Sock in It!... or vice versa

Avast ye scurvy dogs, not so fast.  Where der ya think ye be goin'.  The holidays not be over yet.  There still be plenty of time to share yer treasure with captain kids who have no booty of their own.... nor even a ship to sail on to call home.


So grab ye one of them thar Christmas Stockings and fill it with 12 items, one for each day of the twelve days of Christmas.  We be delivering them on January 5th -- that be the final day of the Christmas season, and a day when most kids'll be thinkin their holiday luck and loot have already run run out.


Well don't just sit there.... start collecting yer 12 bits of treasure to share... scoot!  Or I'll be tying ye to the mizzen mast!


And be sure to stop by ye olde Facebook page to tell of yer victory... there be a pint of grape grog waiting fer ye there.

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Puppy Treats

This weekend PetSmart is holding a 3-day Pet Adoption to find homes for furry friends in need of family.  Here is a little seasonal something to give to a four-legged love muffin of your choosing


Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Whisk together the flour, eggs, pumpkin, peanut butter, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. Add water as needed to help make the dough workable, but the dough should be dry and stiff. Roll the dough into a 1/2-inch-thick roll. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
3. Bake in preheated oven until hard, about 40 minutes.

Nutritional Information 
Amount Per Serving  Calories: 56 | Total Fat: 1.3g | Cholesterol: 17mg


from AllRecipes.com

Shared Treasure Hunt

Avast ye scallywags, there's treasure to be found... and shared!
What could be more fun than a Scavenger Hunt?  How about a Treasure Hunt?  Better yet, how about a treasure hunt where you can share your treasure and excitement with others? That's what Shared Treasure Hunt is all about -- kids helping kids, specifically kids delivering treasure to other kids who don't have much in the way of treasure of their own, let alone a place or home to put it in.
You too can join in the adventure by participating in our Black Jack Friday event.  Just collect 21 items to deliver to a homeless child around your own age on Friday Nov 25, 2011.

You may go door to door in your neighborhood, ask your parents to put up a flyer at their office, post on Facebook.... any and every way you can think of to collect the best goodies possible. Please try to include one item from each of the following categories, if you can:

1. Toiletries: toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, hand sanitizer, lip balm, deodorant 
2. Treats: trail mix, packaged cookies & munchies, gum, mints, candy
3. Creative supplies: sketch or coloring books, pens, pencils, crayons, journal, stickers 
4. Stuffed animals 
5. Reads: books, magazines 
6. Toys: cars, dolls, anything you yourself would like 
7. Night night: pajamas, blanket, pillow, flashlight 
8. Games: playing cards, board games, checkers/chess 
9. Clothing: sweatshirt/hoodie, socks, gloves, scarf, undies, hat 
10. Hair stuff: brush, products & accessories 
11. Shoes 
12. Fun in the sun: swim suit, towel, sunscreen, frisbee, beach ball, swim goggles 
13. Glug glug: water, juice, powdered milk 
14. Creature comforts: collapsable chair, umbrella, tarp 
15. Oooohs: mp3 player, watch, jewelry, pre-paid phone 
16. Be a sport: skateboard, football, soccer ball, baseball glove/bat/ball 
17. Showtime: movie passes + popcorn, drink, etc (see if anyone has this going unused)
18. Batteries 
19. Gift card: fast food place, Target, VISA, you name it (feel free to ask a grownup for help with this one)
20. Backpack to put it all in 
21. Greeting card signed by your friends and family 

Participants who are successful in collecting and delivering their abundance of pirate booty will be recognized and cheered... how, you ask? It's a surprise! Just like all the fun stuff you will collect for the child you are sure to make smile.  Contact us on Facebook to become part of the crew.

"Trick or Treat ... and someone sweet"

Guest blog from brazenly stolen from Amy Allen Photography... cuz it was just too good not to share!

"Olivia, my 5th grader, loves Halloween. This year, Emma, my 8th grader, wasn’t so into it. She opted to go to a little gathering with close friends. 

Olivia traditionally makes her choice for the the following year’s costume the day after Halloween of the current year!  Last November 1st she announced she wanted to be a ‘vintage bride.’ 

Right up my ally! I love vintage stuff and knew we had a lot of work ahead of us! We started collecting items: the dress, purse, veil, etc..in August. The day of trick-or-treating, she asked if I could do a photo shoot, a sort of ‘getting ready’ shoot. I, of course, jumped at this rare opportunity (my children have been so ‘over’ getting their pics taken for years now). 

We started with the details, getting the dress on and ending with a full-length shot, as I do with all of my beautiful brides! 

It was a very surreal moment in time for me, I must say. I had a sort of flash-forward to proms, dances and yes…her wedding day. I realized how my job as a wedding photographer has made me a sucker for the details and especially the moments. I was amazed at how she wanted to do various poses and was very particular in the way she moved her head and body. 

I didn’t say anything. I just documented."

Halloween Appetizer Treats: Deviled Eyeballs

Ingredients:

• 1 dozen hard boiled eggs 
• Mayonnaise
• 24 green olives with pimentos
• Pinch of Dry Yellow Mustard
• Salt to taste
• Toothpicks
• Red Food Coloring (paste is best)

Directions:

1. Cut the eggs in half lengthwise. Scoop out the yolks into a bowl. Set whites aside for a moment.
2. Mash egg yolks with fork. Mix in mayonnaise, onion powder, mustard and salt. Stir well. Place 1 teaspoon of mixture in each half of egg whites.
3. Push a green olive into the center of the egg yolk mixture, making sure the red pimento is "looking" out.
4. Dip toothpick in red food coloring and make "red veins" in the yolk mixture.

(http://www.halloweenhowl.com/halloween-appetizers-eyeballs.shtml)

Low Fuss, High Fun, No-Bake Buckeyes

No-bake peanut butter treats with chocolate coating..... mmmmmmm
The holidays are THE time for baking, and kids wanna be part of the foodie fun.  Here is a quick and easy recipe to whip up some holiday cheer. After all, November is National Peanut Butter Month... yea! 


Ingredients

• 3/4 cup Peanut Butter 
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1-1/4 cups semisweet chocolate morsels (1-1/4 cups = 7-1/2 oz)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening

Directions

1. Blend peanut butter, butter, salt, and confectioner's sugar together in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on low speed. Mixture will be stiff. Line sheet pan with wax paper. Roll peanut butter mixture into small, bite-size balls, about 3/4-inch round. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.
2. Place morsels and shortening in top of double boiler with simmering water in the bottom. Melt ingredients over medium-low heat; blend well. Remove from heat.
3. Insert wooden pick into top of chilled peanut butter ball. Dip into melted chocolate, leaving only the top 1/4 of peanut butter ball uncovered for typical "buckeye" appearance. Place coated side on prepared sheet pan. Repeat until all pieces are coated. Refrigerate until chocolate is set, about 30 minutes. Place in airtight container; keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

from the Peter Pan company

Venn Anfralustro... now you know how to say Good Morning in Faerie

there it is in its original language - 'Good Morning' in Naturim, the language of the Amadii

There has always always been some sort of way for kids (especially girls) to jabber while in the company of adults without the adults understanding a darn word that is being said.

Ememberay Igpay Atinlay?  Not making heads or tales of this gibberish? Ask a Baby Boomer to translate.

Hivow ivabivout Ivivy Tivalk?.... Same?.... In this case, consult a Gen X-er.

Today's youth have relied on text & IM acronyms at their disposal when trying to pull a fast one on their elders.  But then those self same elders found the social network pot o gold, Facebook, and learned how to text in order to keep tabs on their kids and now OMG they can cyberspeak with the best of 'em LOL... J/K kids are still much better at it.  Either way, the parents of today clearly know too much.  So how then to conspire right under their noses?

Go old school.  I mean reeeeeeeeeeeeeally old.  Yep, way before this millenium!  Hard to believe there was life then, huh.  Actually, I am talking about going somewhere around 'oneu-annen sekkls' before the dawn of of the Common Age - to the time of the Amadii, the sea folk of Amadun.  Described as nymphs, elves, faeries, you name it, their language had a little bit of everything, and looks to have links to the later Romance Languages.  Though only a few thousand words of it have been discovered so far, the Amadii language, Naturim, boasts a rich and logical alphabet and numeric system.  The words tend to run long, but the same can be said of Ent..... or Dutch for that matter!

So if you want to confound and confuse previous generations, by all means, learn Naturim.... that is unless you spend a lot of time with old sea nymphs from Amadun!

Have a 'potenn lum,'
[great day]

Lily

P.S. Naturim classes will be taught as part of Siren School's Fae Folk camps in 2012

Flutter-By Cupcakes

Butterfly Cupcakes 

Ingredients

• 1 quantity basic cupcakes (see recipe below)
• 1 cup raspberry jam
• 300ml thickened cream, whipped
• icing sugar mixture, to decorate

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced oven. Line two 12-hole, 1/3 cup-capacity muffin pans with paper cases. Make basic cupcakes (see below)
2. Using a sharp knife, cut a 2cm-deep x 3cm-wide piece from top of each cake. Cut tops in half. Spoon 2 teaspoons jam into each hole. Spoon cream over jam. Arrange cake tops over cream to form wings. Dust with icing sugar. Serve.

Yield
24

Notes

• For 1/3 cup-capacity muffin pans use 2 level tablespoons of mixture. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes.
• Stand cakes in pans for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Basic Cupcake Recipe

Ingredients

• 200g butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cups (370g) caster sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 4 eggs
• 2 3/4 cups (405g) self-raising flour
• 1 cup (250ml) milk

Butter Frosting

• 200g butter, softened
• 6 cups (900g) icing sugar mixture
• 1/2 cup (125ml) milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 24 1/3 cup (80ml) muffin pans with patty cases.
2. Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla bean paste with an electric mixer. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until just combined. Add the flour and milk in alternate batches and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.
3. Spoon mixture evenly among the patty cases. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. For the frosting, use an electric mixer to beat the butter until very pale. Gradually add the icing sugar while beating. Add the milk and beat until well combined.
5. Divide frosting into small bowls and colour. Use a small palette knife or round-bladed knife to spread the icing.

Bully for You....... NOT!

Nobody likes a bully.
As such, you would think no one would want to be labeled as one.
Yet they are cropping up faster than Farmville strawberries.
And their homebase is not the local diner or 7-11, it is cyberspace.


Wikipedia i.e. the people's encyclopedia, defines this rampant unseemly practice: 

Cyber-bullying has been defined as "when the Internet, cell phones or other devices are used to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person". Other researchers use similar language to describe the phenomenon. 

Cyber-bullying can be as simple as continuing to send e-mail to someone who has said they want no further contact with the sender, but it may also include threats, sexual remarks, pejorative labels (i.e., hate speech), ganging up on victims by making them the subject of ridicule in forums, and posting false statements as fact aimed at humiliation. 

Cyber-bullies may disclose victims' personal data (e.g. real name, address, or workplace/schools) at websites or forums or may pose as the identity of a victim for the purpose of publishing material in their name that defames or ridicules them. Some cyber-bullies may also send threatening and harassing emails and instant messages to the victims, while other post rumors or gossip and instigate others to dislike and gang up on the target. 

Kids report being mean to each other online beginning as young as 2nd grade. According to research, boys initiate mean online activity earlier than girls do. However, by middle school, girls are more likely to engage in cyber-bullying than boys do. Whether the bully is male or female, their purpose is to intentionally embarrass others, harass, intimidate, or make threats online to one another. This bullying occurs via email, text messaging, posts to blogs, and Web sites. 

This epidemic affected as many as 43% of American teens in just one year.  58% of kids say that they have received hurtful messages online, and 40% say it has happened more than once.


What makes this form of bullying even more cowardly and insidious than the traditional in-person locker-side gang-up is the fact that the villains can attack their prey anonymously or using faux accounts and names... and en masse.


The effects on targets/victims include depression, retaliation and even suicide


So there's the problem, but where's the prevention?  StopCyberBullying.org offers this advice: 

Education can help considerably in preventing and dealing with the consequences of cyberbullying. The first place to begin an education campaign is with the kids and teens themselves. We need to address ways they can become inadvertent cyberbullies, how to be accountable for their actions and not to stand by and allow bullying (in any form) to be acceptable. We need to teach them not to ignore the pain of others.

Teaching kids to “Take 5!” before responding to something they encounter online is a good place to start. Jokingly, we tell them to “Drop the Mouse! And step away from the computer and no one will get hurt!” We then encourage them to find ways to help them calm down. 

They can even let others know that they won’t allow cyberbullying, supporting the victim, making it clear that they won’t be used to torment others and that they care about the feelings of others is key. 

For more information on putting an end to the meanness and madness, visit CyberBullying.us, the National Crime Prevention Council, CyberBullying.org, or KidsHealth.

DYI for Dad

Some nifty gifties for dear ole Dad, reblogged from: http://alphamom.com/family-fun/holidays/five-excellent-diy-fathers-day-gifts/

Excellent Diy Father’s Day Gifts

by Melissa Summers

"This year my husband got a new grill for Father’s Day. Yes, I realize it hasn’t been Father’s Day yet but we have a lot of meat and other things (have you ever had grilled pineapple?) that need grilling and a short season where it’s enjoyable to cook outside so we gave him his present early. Because of this he’ll be getting a nice card from the kids and [me]. I love this stitched card from Make and Takes. Most kids can handle this project once you make the holes for them to follow, think ‘Lacing Puzzle’.

This super simple, very usable idea will be easy for small hands to create. Take a simple square notepad, have your child color it and write a message to their dad on it with broad point markers. Thank you Martha, for not making me feel like a crafting failure all the time.

This gift idea is one of those ‘Needs Mom Help’ I mentioned. Photo JoJo shows you how to manipulate your photos and use them to create a stamp-like image on almost anything with ink jet transfer paper. You could use this technique to make a personalized card or a unique picture of your kids to frame. My husband goes through dozens of notebooks each year so I may use the technique to decorate a moleskine for him. (For his birthday, see above with the grill. No more gifts.)

This miniature smores grill at OhDeeDoh was originally meant as a fun thing for kids, but I think it would also make a fun little gift for Dad. Who doesn’t love smores anyway? Check out the simple supply list, a cedar plank, 4 bolts – 1/4 inch and 2 and 1/2 inches tall, 4 nuts – 1/4 inch, 4 optional washers for the bolts, 1 2.5 oz stainless steel condiment cup, and 1 box of toothpicks. Pair this with all the fixings and you have a fun after dinner treat for the family.

When I first saw this Car Wash Bucket at Martha’s site, I thought to myself, “Wow, that’s a stretch. Cleaning supplies as a gift?” But the more I thought about it the more fathers I know who have an undying passion for their cars and keeping those cars clean is a hobby. This gift is less a craft and more a DIY gift basket but still very thoughtful and useful if your Dad enjoys seeing his own reflection in his clearcoat.


Last Minute Great Father’s Day Crafts!

"I came across this idea at this little Father’s Day site. A site where you can create coloring pages for Father’s Day, I wonder if they have images of a dad about to have an aneurysm after stepping on yet another lego? Or a Dad fiercely determined not to stop and ask for directions? You know, true to life pages. No, instead they suggest bottling your favorite bbq sauce recipe and creating a custom label for it. Here is a favorite sauce we use at our house, perfect to go with the beer bottle container. To make the label have your kids create something, scan it resize and print on label stock.

I have a fondness for small bowls and containers which hold things on tables and dressers. My husband has a fondness for small things which clutter up tables and dressers. I found this craft which the kids will love doing and Logan and I will enjoy using. These plaster cast catchalls are made with plaster of paris, a mold and some paint. It’s a little more involved but I’m including it because it’s so cute, besides you have until Sunday so get cracking.

I love getting picture frames as handmade gifts from my kids. They’re cute and usable, especially if the artist has taken their time and done their very best work. I have an artist in my home who has been known to conk out halfway through a project and call an undecorated piece of cardboard a ‘frame’. I think this DAD cutout frame is cute and easy to put together. What say the dads, are handmade picture frames the equivalent of a tie?

This gift reached through the screen and grabbed me by the face saying, “Have the kids make this for your husband so you can stop answering, ‘Have You Seen My Keys?’” This key holder is easy to make and instead of names each member of the family is represented by a wooden spoon replica. We might use actual photographs laminated, I haven’t decided yet.

I love when people give gifts which are really just gifts for themselves, still I like the idea of the Date With Dad card. Kids make a card, cut a slit in the paper and insert two tickets good for a fun Dad/Kid activity. Martha reminds young gift givers to think hard about what dad likes to do. I’ll likely have to help the kids with their outing ideas because I have a feeling Maddie might suggest a really “fun” for grown-ups trip to Build A Bear at the mall."


Thanks Melissa!

It's Time to Tie One on... or 2 or 3

Summer is the perfect time for light weight clothing, dips in the ocean, lake or pool and homemade crafts to cobble with friends.... all of which are more fun when you can make something of a mess in the process... and what could be cooler, faster and easier than a kickback TIE DYE sesh.


There are all sorts of DIY pages out on the interwebs, but none were nearly as quick and simple as this from Squidoo: http://www.squidoo.com/SimplySpray - How to Tie-Dye Shirts with Spray Paint

This ridiculously easy-to-follow vid shows how to design and dye a T-shirt.  Scrunch and twist and tie all your favorite summer accessories from beach towels to tote bags and bucket hats.  Rubber bands make the 'tie' part of the tie-dye process all the simpler.

"Tie-dye is a process of resist dyeing textiles or clothing which is made from knit or woven fabric, usually cotton; typically using bright colors. It is a modern version of traditional dyeing methods used in many cultures throughout the world. "Tie-dye" can also describe the resulting pattern or an item which features this pattern. Tie-dyeing became fashionable in the West in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of hippie style. It was popularized in the United States by musicians such as John Sebastian, Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead and Joe Cocker."

Spray Fabric Paint from Amazon

Tie-dye Party Kit Simply Spray Fabric Paint

Each Kit makes about 24 shirts Stays Soft and pliable Dries in just 30 minutes Permanent after 72 hours No need to heat set it Washes off your hands easily with soap and water Simply Spray is a permanent aerosol fabric paint, not a dye. It is non-toxic, non-flammable and completely safe. The colors blend nicely. You can create tie-dye effects instantly without the mess! All you have to do is pop the blue safety tab, apply even pressure to the trigger and simply spray! Great for use on furniture, material, clothing, carpets, car interiors, wood, silk, leather and more. MADE IN THE USA

Amazon Price: $25.20 (as of 05/01/2011) 

next up = more summer fun with sunglass, flippy-floppy & shell candle crafts

Cheep Thrills

These whimsical Eastery cupcakes from FoodNetwork.com cracked me up!  Easter egg puns notwithstanding, they were too darn cute not to post  

Ingredients

• 1 vanilla cupcake, recipe follows
• About 1/3 cup White Fluff Frosting, recipe follows
• Green coconut grass, recipe follows
• 6 small candied malt balls (2 yellow, 2 pink, 2 white)
• 1 yellow chick peep
• White Airhead candy

Directions

Frost a cupcake with fluff frosting. Press a circle of coconut grass on top. Nestle the malted eggs on top of the grass. Gently press the peep onto the center of the grass. Cut the white Airhead into a 1/2 oval shape; trim one side so it has a cracked egg jagged edge. Place egg next to chick.

Vanilla Cupcakes

• 2 2/3 cups sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/3 cups cake flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup cupcake tins with paper liners. (To avoid cupcakes sticking if they overflow slightly, lightly spray the tops of the pans.) Put tins on a baking sheet. Set aside.

Process sugar and butter in a food processor until very creamy, scraping sides as needed, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggs and yolks, one at a time, pulsing after each addition. Add the milk, water, and vanilla and process to blend.

Whisk both flours, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients, in 3 batches to the wet, pulsing, and then scraping batter off the sides of the processor as needed after each addition. Process until the batter is very smooth and pourable likepancake batter, about 2 minutes.

Evenly pour the batter into the prepared cups, filling them 3/4 of the way full. Bake until the cakes are just firm and spring back when gently pressed, and the tops are golden, 18 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly in tin, and turn out of tin when cool enough to handle. Cool cupcakes completely on a rack before frosting.

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Inactive Prep Time: 30 minutes

Ease of preparation: easy

Fluff Frosting

• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 5 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup marshmallow fluff
• Pinch fine salt

Whisk the milk and vanilla extract together in a small bowl.

Slowly beat the butter and sugar, in another medium bowl, with an electric mixer until incorporated. Raise the speed to high and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 to 7 minutes. (Occasionally turn the mixer off, and scrape the sides of the bowl down with a rubber spatula.) Add the fluff and salt and reduce the speed to low. Add the milk and vanilla mixture, scrape the bowl down, and mix until fully incorporated. Raise the mixer to high and beat briefly until fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Frost cupcake immediately.

Yield: 3 3/4 cups

Coconut Easter Grass for Cupcakes

• 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 to 2 teaspoons liquid green food coloring
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon liquid yellow food coloring

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a mesh rack on top, if available.

Put coconut in a shallow bowl. While tossing with a large spoon, add food coloring drop by drop until the desired color is reached. A little more green than yellow makes a pretty grass color. Add a few tablespoons water to moisten the mixture and help disperse the color evenly. If the color is too dark, add additional water, as needed, to dilute to the desired color. Drain the coconut in a sieve or strainer.

Spread the coconut in an even layer on the rack, or directly on the lined baking sheet. Place in the oven until dry, about 10 to 15 minutes. Use immediately, or store in covered container for up to 3 days.

Cook's Note: Food coloring can be messy and can stain your skin. To prevent this, wear latex gloves. You may find it easier to color the coconut in a large zip top plastic bag, tossing it to color evenly.

Yield: 2 cups coconut grass